This invention relates to the field of child seats for motor vehicles.
Child seats for motor vehicles are widely used by operators of motor vehicles to protect children from harm in the event of an accident. Child seats generally include a plastic shell with a cushioned seat formed over the shell. A harness is provided on the seat to restrain the child and retain the child in the seat in the event of an accident. Harness systems typically include a shoulder harness with belts designed to extend over the shoulders of the child and a buckle harness with a crotch belt designed to extend between the legs of the child. The belts included with the harness system can typically be adjusted in length to accommodate children of different sizes.
A continuing challenge for users of conventional child vehicle seats and restraint systems is properly positioning the harness upon the child. In particular, the shoulder belts included with the shoulder harness should extend from the back of the seat within a specified range of the child's shoulder. In addition, the crotch belt of the buckle harness should extend from the bottom of the seat within a specified range of the child's crotch. Furthermore, the buckle of the buckle harness should be properly positioned within a specific range near the midsection of the child. Users of child seats are often required to make various adjustments to the harness such that all belts and buckles are properly situated for the child that will be using the seat. Therefore, a need exists for a child seat where the shoulder harness and buckle harness are easily and/or automatically adjusted, depending upon the size of the child. Furthermore, a need exists for a child seat where the position of the belts with respect to the seat may be changed depending upon the size of the child. Preferably, this would include automatically changing the position of the shoulder belt with respect to the back of the seat and automatically changing position of the crotch belt with respect to the seat bottom, depending upon the size of the child.
Another challenge for users of conventional child seat designs is the relative complexity of the headrest and shoulder harness adjustment for the seat. The headrest and shoulder harness positions should typically be adjusted as the child grows. However, the adjustment mechanisms for the headrest and/or shoulder harness can be awkward and difficult to manipulate on many seats. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a headrest mechanism for a child seat that is easy to adjust. It would also be desirable to provide a harness system that is automatically adjusted when the headrest is adjusted, thereby relieving users of the need to readjust the harness after moving the headrest.